How to flavor freshly roasted coffee beans - tips and techniques?

[nicksergeant]

I've been roasting a while and recently experimented with a "Christmas" flavor blend with cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. I really enjoyed it and ended up selling a few lbs of it.

Right now I'm flavoring my beans with raw vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg after the beans have cooled after roasting (sometimes I wait 12-18 hours after roasting).

What I've found with the vanilla is that the alcohol seems to dry the beans quicker and loses the vanilla flavor after a few days. The ground cinnamon also starts losing flavor around that time. I started putting cinnamon sticks in the bags of flavored beans and we'll see if that helps keep the cinnamon flavor around longer. I'm considering mixing the vanilla extract with a peanut oil or something similar to help adhere to the beans and retain the flavor after the alcohol evaporates

I'm also doing a "Pumpkin Spice" batch where I create an oil-based puree of pumpkin, peanut oil, water, and cinnamon. I coat the beans in this and then also add pumpkin spice to the raw beans.

I haven't yet tasted this latest pumpkin batch with the oil-based puree so I'm not sure how that'll turn out.

Does anyone else flavor their beans after roasting? Any tips or specific techniques you could share?

 

[ppkgan]

I usualy just buy my coffee pre flavored but it sounds like you are onto something here! Are you using real vanila extract? That is expensive isnt it?

 

[nicksergeant]

I usualy just buy my coffee pre flavored but it sounds like you are onto something here! Are you using real vanila extract? That is expensive isnt it?

Yeah I'm using vanilla extract for the Christmas blend. Turned out great. I may try mixing the extract with a peanut oil to help keep the vanilla flavor around longer - the alcohol in the extract tends to dry out the bean faster.

It's not too expensive - 1 tbsp will coat 1lb of beans (.5 ounces on 1lb == 3% flavoring which seems to be industry standard). It comes to maybe 20-30 cents per pound, easily recouped in the sale cost. I use organic Mexican vanilla so you could get your cost down even more if you use domestic / non-organic stuff.

Peanut oil seems to be a great way to infuse flavors into beans. I've done some research and it appears to be one of the more oft-used oils for flavoring beans at home. Big roasters use synthetic oils and chemicals to achieve flavorings - usually without *actual* natural flavorings.

My pumpkin blend came out even better, in my opinion. I used an organic pumpkin puree and blended with oil, water, and spices to create a oil-based flavoring. I coat 1lb of beans in about 1-1.5 tbsp of the oil and then also mix in regular pumpkin spice. You want to be careful with dry ingredients as they can clog up typical filters but I've found that about 1 tsp per 1 lb of beans doesn't result in filter clogging (at least with cinnamon and nutmeg).

Naturally flavoring beans is super fun - give it a shot! It's all natural, no chemicals, no BS. I even started putting a half cinnamon stick in my bags of beans for friends and they said it's awesome. The stick should help keep the cinnamon flavor around longer after the granules start to lose their kick in 4-5 days.

 

[Spice]

Thanks for this post. I would love to flavor with naturals. Has anyone tried essential oils, very small amounts.

 

[nicksergeant]

Thanks for this post. I would love to flavor with naturals. Has anyone tried essential oils, very small amounts.

Sure thing! Hopefully more folks will chime in with what they're doing to flavor. Next up on my list for flavorings:

- "Jamaican me crazy"-style... which is Kahlua, caramel, and vanilla.
- Chocolate mocha style (have to be careful with cocoa powder - it expands rapidly and will likely clog filters)

I haven't looked into essential oils...

 

[PinkRose]

Is the Jamaican me crazy flavors (Kahlua, caramel, and vanilla) what most people put into it when they make it? I've never tasted it, but I was curious the last time I was at my local roaster and I saw it in the bean display.

Rose

 

[nicksergeant]

Is the Jamaican me crazy flavors (Kahlua, caramel, and vanilla) what most people put into it when they make it? I've never tasted it, but I was curious the last time I was at my local roaster and I saw it in the bean display.

Rose

I've heard it that way and "cinnamon, rum, pecan". This is the exact coffee that literally got me drinking coffee:

Coffee - Flavored: Jamaican Me Crazy Flavored Coffee - 1 Pound Bag [Model: FLC-FL-JAMC-GRND]

Give it a shot. It's amazing.

 

[bprotsman]

Is the Jamaican me crazy flavors (Kahlua, caramel, and vanilla) what most people put into it when they make it? I've never tasted it, but I was curious the last time I was at my local roaster and I saw it in the bean display.

Rose

Yes Rose you are correct.

 

[BeanGrinder]

Seems we have deviated from NickSergeant's original post - vanilla extract is not good for flavoring beans for the reason you have experienced. Same with pumpkin puree...you are going to have a mess with a very short shelf life. My suggestion is to buy flavor additives. You can add these oils (3% is on target but you might want to experiment - a lot will depend on the additive and the company that makes it) to roasted beans. For a pound of coffee just put the beans in a large bowl and add the flavoring (again, a half to one teaspoon...just play with it). Mix with a spoon and allow some dry time before bagging.

We use flavor additives from GSB Flavor Creators in Kennesaw, GA. This is a professional / commercial flavor additive company. Flavor additives, although usually liquid, are sold in pound measurements. It is possible to get about a quart size container of flavored oils from them, but prices vary depending on whether it is a standard (vanilla, hazelnut, etc) or something more exotic. These oils are designed for shelf life and comply with FDA standards. Technically, they can be considered Kosher although this type of food product does not require Kosher approval I'm told. The staff has been great to work with and they've accommodated my requests, even for more exotic flavors such as Southern Pecan and Dutch Chocolate.

Standard disclaimer: Neither I or any member of my family, circle of friends or even oddball neighbors work for GSB. I get NO remuneration (that means pay-off) for suggesting them as a resource. There are other flavor additive companies and I have worked with a few of them - by all means feel free to do the homework. I just really like the staff at GSB and they are willing to try new things. Yes, even cheddar cheese flavor! I know it sounds crazy, but one day I was drinking coffee and eating cheddar flavored Doritos. The combination wasn't bad and that gave me a really hair-brain idea...why not cheddar coffee? Hey, coffee beans are beans, right? GSB was reluctant, but sent a sample of cheddar powder additive. Most gosh-awful tasting coffee I ever poured out. The moral of the story: be sensible...if it isn't a best-seller at Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and the like, then there is probably a reason!

One final note...in our retail grinder we always have a LOT of dust left behind after we grind. I noticed that flavored coffees never leave any dusty residue (but they WILL leave a flavor residue-clean the grinder after passing flavored beans through). I asked GSB for a quart of the base oil with no flavor and started marketing this as "coffee cleaner" and it was great - tasteless but left the grinder totally clean.

Have fun with it. Personally I think the best way to flavor coffee is to add a flavored creamer like CoffeeMate. Just my opinion, a LOT of customers liked our flavored beans - it's a personal preference.

 

[dstrand]

BeanGrinder is correct. It's much more effective to use flavorings from a professional company. The flavors are more intense, and stable. It's best to spray the flavoring onto the beans while they're warm and then stir them. It doesn't take a lot.

Oh, and be ready for sticker shock. A gallon of flavor goes a long way but will likely cost over $100.

 

[CappuccinoMaker]

Never heard of flavoring after roasting before and you put a bug in my head now as i'm very keen to try this out. I bought some fresh vanilla pods to try it out for my self. Is there any special way to proceed ?, would you make an extract out of the vanilla, like oils to mix with the roasted coffee or would you just mix the vanilla pods with the coffee after roasting ? thanks

 

[thuynguyen]

Thanks nicksergeant for this interesting post, I used to search for this but found just a little bit information.
My own formular: melt butter + rhum vanilla (I used about 5 original vanilla fruit, take the inside and cut the fruit into short, put them all in the Rhum bottle, use after 6 months or longer). After roasting, when the coffee bean still hot, mix well with the liquid mixture, then store in air-tight container for 1-3 days before grinding. I found it great, totally natural, my family and friends like it. Sometime I use voldka without vanilla if I want stronger scent.
I like you way going with cinamon, will try soon.

@BeanGrinder: agreed with you with additives, as far as it made by professional and trusted company.

 

[2970emma]

Hi,

Found this thread via Google and I know it's a little old but perhaps someone is still reading.
Mainly a question for Beangrinder....
What makes up the flavour oils you use?
I'm UK-based and endless searches of various combinations of 'flavour, oils, coffee, beans, UK' has not come up with a single UK supplier. I'm just looking to try this at home myself, I don't need industrial quantities and it wouldn't be economical for me to ship from the US just to try.

I can find other food-safe flavour oils, so I'm hoping they will work? If anyone can give me any pointers, e.g. what ingredients should/should not be present in these oils for them to work with coffee, or if there's anything else to look out for (e.g. heat safe, I imagine?) I'd be very grateful.

Thanks!
E

 

[PinkRose]

Hello 2970emma

Welcome to the Coffee Forums website.

I think you'll need to make your questions more clear.

I'm not sure who Beangrinder is.

Do you roast coffee, and then you want to flavor it? Or are you looking for some type of flavoring for your coffee when you brew it?

Rose

 

[2970emma]

I'm not sure who Beangrinder is.

Rose

He/she was, I would say, the person who posted the most useful topic in this thread (see page 1 of posts in this thread).

I think you'll need to make your questions more clear.


Do you roast coffee, and then you want to flavor it? Or are you looking for some type of flavoring for your coffee when you brew it?

Rose

Sorry, I thought as this thread was entitled "How to flavor freshly roasted coffee beans" ?! I thought that made it quite clear which part of the process I was enquiring about when I asked about flavoured oils. If I wanted advice on flavouring coffee when I brewed it I would have posted that question elsewhere!